Suffolk nurse wins $7 million through Virginia Lottery

SUFFOLK, Va. – Eartha Ivey was getting discouraged. “I’m never going to win a big prize,” the Suffolk nurse recalled thinking, having tried her luck at the lottery and coming up empty-handed.

Ivey said that she bought a 100X The Money scratchcard at Dollar Delites in Suffolk, because she’d heard that store had sold big winners in the past. This time, Ivey saw something she’d never seen before when she scratched it — she realized she’d won a prize.

“I was all nervous and shaky,” she said. “I called my daughter and said, ‘I think I won $4 million.”

The Virginia Lottery said in a statement that Ivey was wrong — she’d won $7 million, the game’s top prize.

Ivey said she plans to take care of her family with her winnings, which by taking the one-time cash option came out to $4.2 million before taxes.